Basic Step-by-Step Tutorial

Get ready now to discover a new way of

Design and Create in CAD

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 BasicTutorial
Content:
The Objectives of this Tutorial 3
VectorWorks: The Next Generation in CAD for Architecture 4
Module 1 - The VectorWorks Interface 5
Module 2 - Setting Up the Document 6
Module 3 - Drawing in 2D 9
Module 4 - Creating the Ground Floor of the House 11
1- Creating the Walls of the Ground Floor 11
2- Inserting Doors and Windows into the Walls 13
3- Using Parameterization Resources to Edit the Project 16
4- Creating the Project Floor 16
5- Creating a Staircase in the Project 17

Module 5 - Creating the Upper Floor of the House 20

1- Creating the Walls of the Upper Floor 20
2- Removing Doors and Windows from the Upper Floor 21
3- Visualizing the 3D Model of the Project 21
4- Making Edits on the Upper Floor 22

Module 6 - Generating the Roof of the House 26

Extra Module - Generating the Project Documentation 28

Appendix: Tools Used in this Tutorial 30

Registered Trademarks:
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Macintosh, Power Macintosh, QuickTime, QuickDraw 3D, and QuickTime VR are registered trademarks of Apple Computer Inc.
PowerPC is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corp.
Windows, Windows 95, and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp.
All other brands mentioned here may be registered trademarks of their respective owners and are recognized here.
 VectorWorks - Basic Tutorial

VectorWorks - Step by Step Tutorial

The Objectives of this Tutorial:
In this VectorWorks tutorial, we will create a 3D model of a house (similar to the one shown in fig. 1)
using the various resources of VectorWorks for the creation of architectural elements such as walls
lines and curves, floors, stairs, doors, windows, among others.

Fig. 1

This tutorial will be divided into modules for a better understanding of each stage of the project.
Try to study each module and fully understand the commands and tools presented beforehand.
to proceed to the next module.
After completing each module, review the principles discussed and the tools presented. A suggestion-
So: try to explore the tools and commands covered in the module, making some modifications.
actions on what was created. Do some tests and try other alternatives for what was proposed.

IMPORTANT:
This tutorial was created to be executed with the software VectorWorks version 10 (Portuguese).
Before starting this tutorial, install VectorWorks on your computer (you can use the version
demo doVectorWorks to carry out this tutorial).
The minimum hardware to use VectorWorks is:
Windows version: Pentium with Windows 95, 98, 2000 or NT with 64 MB RAM
MacintoshVersion:PowerMacintoshwithMacOS8.6orhigherand64MBRAM.

How to obtain a demo version of VectorWorks

YouwillbeabletoobtainademoversionofVe.ctorWorks on the Internet (www.cadtec.com.br) or still

contacting the distributor in Brazil: CAD Technology (tel. (011) 3849 8257).

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 VectorWorks - Basic Tutorial

VectorWorks - The Next Generation in CAD for Architecture

Used by thousands of architects, designers, and engineers around the world, VectorWorks became
is known for combining, in a way that was unprecedented in a CAD, professional and advanced features
from architecture to an interactive and user-friendly interface.
With more than 16 years in the market, VectorWorks (formerly MiniCAD) has become the standard solution for
CAD for thousands of architecture firms around the world. In Brazil, renowned firms
architecture has already discovered the power and interactivity of VectorWorks, among them we highlight: Roberto
CandussoeArq.Associados, RoccoeAssociados, Roberto Loeb, Candido Malta, Kiko Salomão, Carlos
Bratke, Edison Musa Architecture, Fernando Piva and many others.

The new version 10 of VectorWorks brings even more interactivity, precision, and productivity to the program.

Now get ready to forget everything you have learned about CAD... the time has come for you
get to know VectorWorks!

Standardization Used in this Tutorial:

• All the windows shown are extracted from VectorWorks version in Portuguese. All names of the
Commands used in this demonstration are described in the format: <Menu/Command Name>.
Italic texts indicate comments or notes about the topic addressed.

In some parts of the text, tips are presented and highlighted with the icon.
In some points of the tutorial, key sequences are used for command or window shortcuts.
In these cases, we describe the sequence of keys that should be kept pressed to access the
command or the window. For example: "Press Ctrl+B..." means that you should press the key
Control e, while keeping this key pressed, also press the 'B' key.

NOTE: This guide describes the key sequence for the Windows version. If you are using the version
On Macintosh for VectorWorks, simply replace the Ctrl (Control) key with the Cmd key in these sequences.

Tools Used in the Tutorial (Appendix)

All the tools used in this tutorial are described in an appendix at the end of this document.
Refer to this appendix whenever you need to know more about the tool used.

Access Declaration for Commands in the Menus

Any command from VectorWorks will be described in this tutorial in the format: <menu>/<command>
For example: Edit/Copy (means that we should press the mouse button on the Edit menu and
then drag the cursor to the Copy option and then release the button.

Use of the Mouse

Click: With the mouse stationary, press and release its button.
Move: Move the mouse WITHOUT pressing the button.
Drag: Move the mouse while holding the button down.
Double-click: Click the mouse twice quickly.

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 VectorWorks - Basic Tutorial

Module 1 - The VectorWorks Interface

Before we start the tutorial, let's quickly get to know the interface of the VectorWorks program.
The VectorWorks interface is completely flexible; you can define the type of interface that suits you best.
suitable for your professional application area.
In this tutorial, we will use the AEC interface type (to carry out architectural projects).
Select the command File/Settings/AEC
Note that the palettes and menus of the program will be updated to present the tools more
suitable for the execution of architectural projects.

VectorWorks also allows you to customize the interface as you wish through the File/ command.
Settings/Workspace Editor.

Fig. 2 shows us the AEC interface of VectorWorks and its main parts.

Bar of
Menus
Palette of
Tools
2D
Bar Bar
Modes Data Palette of
Information
Palette of Palette of of the Object.
2D Edition Quotas

Palette of
Tools DRAWING WINDOW
3D

Palette of Tool Palette

Attributes of Walls

Object palette Palette of

AEC Administrator
Palette of Resources.
Restrictions
Bar
Visualization

Fig. 2

If any palette is not visible on the screen, use the Windows/Palettes menu options to make it visible.

Menu Bar: Use it to access the various commands of the software VectorWorks.
Data Bar: Use the fields in this part of the interface to define the exact measurements of the objects that are
being created. In this bar, we can also access the Layers submenu.

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 VectorWorks - Basic Tutorial

2D Tools Palette: Used to access the various 2D creation tools of the program.
3D Tool Palette: Used to access the various 3D creation tools of the program.
Wall Palette: Use this palette to access the tools for creating and editing straight or curved walls.
AEC Object Palette: Use this palette to access the various parametric objects of VectorWorks (such as
doors, windows, stairs, etc.
View Bar: Use this part of the interface to quickly access view commands such as
zoom, frame the view, among others.
The Drawing Window: This is the part of the screen where you will actually draw.

Module 2 - Configuring the Document

In this stage of our project, we will configure the document to create our project. This sets up
This involves defining the units, sheet size, and the scale at which we will draw. As if
we were on a drawing board, defining the size of the sheet, etc.

1) Opening a New Document

Open a new document using the File/New command.
In the template definition window, select the Blank Document option.

2) Defining the Print Area (Sheet Size)

Define the Print Area Size for an A4 sheet:
Select the Page/Set Print Area command.
The Paper Size Definition window will open (fig.3).

Fig.3

In this window, we will define the size of the sheet we will be working with.
In the Size field, select the A4 option. In this example, we will use this sheet size.
Deselect the Show Page Breaks option.

Although we usually define the sheet size before we start drawing, in VectorWorks we
we can redefine the sheet size at any time whenever we wish.

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 VectorWorks - Basic Tutorial

3) Defining the Units and the Scale of the drawing.

Select the command Page / Units.
The unit definition window will open (fig. 4).

Fig.4

In the field Name, select the option Meters. Select the option Show Unit Abbreviation.

OVectorWorks is a high-precision professional CAD software that has an accuracy of 10 decimal places.
decimals in all the designs you will make (regardless of the scale you are in). Like this
precision is much higher than necessary in the vast majority of professional application areas, you will be able to
opt for decimal rounding to reduce the number of decimal digits that will be shown both
in the numeric fields such as in the drawing quotas.
• In the Rounding field, select Round to: with three decimal places
after the comma (.001).
Click OK
Select the command Page/Layer Scale....
The Scale Definition window will appear (fig. 5).

Fig.5

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 VectorWorks - Basic Tutorial

In the field, set the scale to 1:75 to define the scale at 1:75 (see fig. 5).
Click OK.

We can change, whenever we want and at any time, the scale and units of the drawing.
We can do this even after the drawing is finished, in which case VectorWorks will correct the
size of the drawing in relation to the sheet and will automatically convert the units!

4) Configuring the Layers of the document

Layers are subdivisions through which we can organize our drawing by floor, cate-
goria, materials, etc. In this case, each layer will contain the drawings related to each floor of the project.

In addition to layers, oVectorWorks offers us a second level of organization of information called 'Clas-
we can divide the information of a drawing through a criterion with two levels of information
For example, we could divide a drawing by floors and category of information (electrical, hydraulic,
structure, etc.
Select the command Organize/Layers to access the layer definition window (fig. 6).

Fig.6

Click the New button to create a new layer

In the Name field, enter the layer name.
In the Z and Delta Z fields, we can define the height (Z coordinate) of the layer and the clear height of the layer,
respectively. This information will be used in the composition of our project's model.
Create the layer structure of the drawing as below:
Terreo Z=0∆Z= 2.8
Superior Z=2.8∆Z= 2.8
Coverage Z=5.6∆Z= 1
Create one more layer called 'Mockup' (the Z and the∆They will not import from this layer).

In this Mockup layer, we will, at a later stage, overlay the Ground and Upper layers.

Click the OK button to confirm the creation of the layers and return to the drawing window.

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 VectorWorks - Basic Tutorial

Module 3: Drawing in 2D
Figure 8 shows us the 2D tools of VectorWorks.
To use these tools, simply select the desired tool and click the
mouse to create the object in the window. Some tools like polylines and polygons
irregularities involve several clicks. In these cases, to finish the creation, click twice.
times at the same point.

Some tools (e.g., arc tool) have different modes of use.

To select these modes, simply click on the buttons that appear on the Mode Bar.
top-left part of the drawing window.
Fig.8
Tools and Some Basic Commands
Before we start drawing in VectorWorks, it is important to familiarize ourselves with some tools.
basic keys in the use of the program.

Selection Tool Use it to select or move objects on the screen. To select a

click the object. To select multiple objects, click on the desired objects while holding down the
Shift key pressed or, if you prefer, drag a fence around the objects you want to select.

TIP: If you drag an object while holding down the Control key (Windows) or the Option key (Mac), you
will create a copy of the dragged object.
Shift: Use this key while drawing a line or polygon to constrain the drawing of lines and
walls horizontal/vertical.

Basic Editing Commands

Delete or Backspace key: Press this key to delete the selected object(s).
Edit/Undo: Use this command to undo the last action performed on the drawing. The shortcut for
this command is Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Cmd+Z (Mac).
Edit/Redo: Use this command to redo the last action undone with Undo.

VectorWorks can be set to undo up to the last 100 commands.

Edit/Copy: Use this command to copy an object from the drawing to the clipboard. The shortcut for this
the command is Ctrl+C (Windows) or Cmd+C (Mac).
Edit/Crop: Use this command to copy an object from the drawing to the memory, removing it from
drawing. The shortcut for this command is Ctrl+C (Windows) or Cmd+C (Mac).
Edit/Paste: Brings the object that is in memory to the drawing window.
Edit/Paste in Position: Brings the object that is in memory to the drawing window, respecting the
exact position x,y from where the original object was copied.

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 VectorWorks - Basic Tutorial

Drawing with Exact Measurements

To draw an object with exact measurements, follow the procedure below:
Select the desired tool.
Click on the drawing window and move the mouse to start drawing
In the Data Bar, which is at the top of the drawing window, you will notice several fields with
parameters of the measurements of the objects.

The fields displayed in the Data Bar will depend on the type of object we are creating.
Some of these fields, however, are common to various types of objects such as:
L: Length of the created object (Polar Coord.)
∆X: They move in X from the clicked starting point to the current one.

A: Cursor displacement angle (Polar Coord.)

∆ They move. in Y from the initially clicked point to the current one.

X: Current location X of the cursor (Absolute Coord.)

Y: Current Y cursor location (Absolute Coord.)
Press the Tab key to access any of these fields.
Type the value in the desired field and press RETURN (or ENTER) to confirm the value.
Note that the object will change its dimensions according to the entered value.
Click the mouse to confirm the creation of the object in the drawing.
This process is standard for any created object.

Another way to create an object with exact measurements is the parametric mode. This mode
just double-click the tool icon in the 2D tool palette and then set the
desired parameters in the tool's parameters window.

The buttons of the View Bar

In the lower-left corner of the drawing window, you will find the View Bar. In this
In the region you will have access to several buttons that allow you to control the display of the drawing on the screen.

Go back Approximate Scale Frame

for the view (Zoom In) Normal Objects
Anterior Menu for
Save / Open
Views
Proceed to To distance Fit into the
the Next (Zoom Out) Window
View

Practice a little!
In the next module of this tutorial, we will create the 3D walls of the ground floor of our house.
Before moving on to the next module, try practicing the 2D tools by drawing with the tools.
lines, circles, rectangles, etc. Practice creating these objects with exact measurements.

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Module 4 - Creating the Ground Floor of the House

1- Creating the Walls of the Ground Floor

Using the layer submenu in the Mode Bar (fig. 1), make sure that Ground is the active layer.

Layered Pop-up Menu

at the top of the window
of drawing
Fig.1

In the View Bar (in the lower-left corner of the drawing window), click the button for
that the entire sheet fits within the drawing window.
Select the Straight Walls tool on the iron palette
wall mints.
Click on the button to adjust the wall parameters na
Mode Bar.
In the Wall Parameters window (fig. 2):
Enter the value 0.2 (20 cm) in the Thickness field.
Click on the Extreme field, select the option None
Click OK to return. Fig. 2

In the Mode Bar, click on the wall drawing option by the left face.

Drawing the Walls

Let'snowdrawthewallsofthegroundfloor. 14
reo as shown in fig. 3. Use the proc
mento below:
... and move the
Move the cursor to a region close to the can- mouse nest
to the upper-left of the drawing window. Start sense.
clicking here...
Click the mouse and move it to the right. 7
Note that a wall will be drawn.
To define the length of the pressure wall
press the Tab key a few times until the field
L (in the Data Bar) should be highlighted. Type
Enter the value and press Return to confirm. 6
Move the mouse until the wall is in the horizontal
horizontal. Click to confirm the creation of this
5
wall. Fig. 3
Move the mouse down now and press the 45
Press Tab again until the field L is highlighted.
5
• Enter the value now and press Return to
confirm.

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Using the mouse, adjust the position of the wall to vertical and click to confirm the drawing of this 2nd wall.
Using the same technique shown above, create the 6-meter wall and the two 5-meter walls.
Use the following procedure to create the wall at a 45-degree angle:

Point To create the wall inclined at 45 degrees, we will use a very advanced resource (and
exclusive) of VectorWorks called "Smart Cursor". Through it we can perform
quickly alignments with total precision with any points of the drawing.
• Move the cursor until it touches the starting point of the first wall, the message
"Point" will appear (fig. 4a) confirming that you are exactly at the point.
initial of the first wall (DO NOT click yet),
• Move the cursor down and note that VectorWorks will show a dotted line and
Fig. 4a
the message 'Alin H' (fig. 4b) indicating that you are aligned horizontally
with the starting point, (DO NOT click yet)
Continue down until you receive the message '45º'
Alin H" (fig. 4c) indicating that its wall
is inclined at 45º and aligned with the point Fig. 4c
superior.
Now create the last wall by moving the mouse
up until it touches the starting point of the first-
Alin H
the created wall. Click to close the contour
45º/ Align H
the walls.

Fig. 4b

Observing the Walls in 3D

Although they were created in the floor plan view, their walls actually form a three-dimensional model.
dimensional (3D) of the project. This is because the layer where you created the walls has the parameter∆Z no
value of 2.8m (as you defined in Module 2 of this tutorial). Thus, any walls you create
In this layer, there will be a default ceiling height of 2.8m.

OVectorWorks allows you to change the height or even the shape of one or more walls of the layer.
whenever you wish.
To observe the walls in 3D:
Click on the Hover tool (on the Palette

from 3D Tools), move the cursor to any

point on the drawing window and drag the mouse to
rotate the model in 3D spaceFig. 5).
To observe the model in perspective (with
vanishing point) click on the Walk tool
Through
If you want other views of the model you can Fig. 5
also use the menu options Visual/Views.

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 VectorWorks - Basic Tutorial

Return to the Top/Plan view by selecting the command Visual/Views/Top Plan. Or simply,
by typing the shortcut Ctrl+5 (Windows) and Cmd+5 (Macintosh).

To return the view to the full sheet display, click the button. in the Viewbar.

2- Inserting Doors and Windows into the Walls

Now let's insert some doors and windows into these walls. We can use tools as well.
parameters to create them, how to use symbols from the library that comes with the program. Can-
We can still create our own library symbols.
Let'susetheparametricdoorcreationtoolinthiscase.
If it is not open yet, open the AEC Objects palette (Windows/Palettes/AEC).
Among the most powerful resources of VectorWorks for AEC are its tools.
parametric. These tools allow the creation of various construction elements.
In this way we can create doors, windows, stairs, columns, furniture, etc., with
any measurements easily and quickly. Because they are parametric, these tools
The Palette of
generate elements whose parameters (or measurements) can be changed interactively to
AEC Objects any moment.
As part of our tutorial, we will create the doors and windows shown in fig. 6

Door 2 Window 3
0.9m

Window 1

Door 1

Window 2
Fig.6

Creating Door 1 (See Fig. 6)

On the AEC Objects Palette, click on the parametric tool for creating Simple Doors

In the Modes Bar, click the button to adjust the port parameters

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 VectorWorks - Basic Tutorial

In this door (fig. 7), we can adjust various parameters for creation
of a door. You can choose the type of door, its dimensions, the type
of detailing and much more...
• Enter 2 in the Width field, click on the Type field and change to the type
Simple 2 Sheets. Adjust the other parameters as shown in the figure.
Click OK.
To switch from one field to another in the parameters adjustment window,
Press the Tab key.
Move the cursor to the center of the wall where the door will be placed (see fig.
6 - Door 1) when the cursor shows the message "Center" click the mouse
To confirm. Move the mouse to define the direction of the door opening.
and click again to confirm the insertion of the door in the center of the wall.
Being an Object-Oriented CAD software, VectorWorks will open
automatically the wall to insert the door. And it will correct the opening
automatically if you move the door or take it off the wall. This would not happen
in a simple Geometry-Oriented CAD.

Creating Door 2 (See Fig. 6)

Now we will insert another door but this will be inserted to a
specific distance (90 cm) from the corner of the wall. OVectorWorks has
a resource that does this easily and with total accuracy.

• Click on the Sliding Doors tool .

To access the sliding door creation tool, click the mouse. Fig. 7
about the Simple Door tool and hold down the button. Others
Parametric door tools will emerge alongside the Simple Door.

In the Mode Bar, click the Preferences button. and hit the
fields as shown in fig. 8. Pay special attention to the parameters:
4m Altura:2.1 Qty TraversesV:0
Type: 4 Panels Qty Crossbars H:0

Click OK.

• In the Modes Bar, click the button to change the insertion option
action of the door by the extreme left.
• Still in the Modes Bar, click the button
insertion option by reference point
.
Determining the Reference Point.
Click on the inner junction of the walls to
determine the reference point. (see the fi- Fig. 8
Fig.9 gura 9)

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 VectorWorks - Basic Tutorial

Move the mouse to the right (approx. 1m) along the wall, click to locate it.
Click again to determine your positioning sense.
The distance determination window will open. Enter 0.9 in the Distance field and click OK.
The sliding door will be installed precisely 90cm from the left corner of the wall.

Creating Windows 1, 2, and 3 (See Fig. 6)

• In the AEC Object Palette, click on the Detail Window tool.
yes

To access this tool, click on the Window tool

Simple and keep the button pressed. The Window tool

Complexa will emerge as a second option in the Palette.

In the Modes bar, click the Preferences button e

Fill in the fields as shown in fig. 10. Click OK.
Insert windows 1, 2, and 3 in the centers of the respective walls.
as shown in fig. 6.

Visualizing the Ground Floor Project in 3D

Click on the Walk Through tool and then in the

Flying Tool .

• Drag the mouse over the window to view the ground floor model in
different angles. Place it approximately in position
shown in fig. 11.
• In the Visual menu select Presentation / Solid Shading
• Now visualize in presentation mode OpenGL using Fig.10
Presentation command/OpenGL
Note that when we insert windows and doors into the walls, VectorWorks automatically cut them out.
walls including in 3D

Presented Model
in OpenGL

Fig.11

Fig.12

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3- Using Parameterization Resources to Edit the Project

Return the model view to Wireframe using the command Visual/Presentation/Wireframe

Using the Zoom tool approximated at first glance for

the window 1. For this click the mouse in the upper-right corner
left of the window, move the mouse to set a window that
wrap the window 1 and click the mouse again to zoom in
Deadly view (Fig.13).

With the Selection tool click on any

part of the window frame 1 to select it.
Open the Object Information Palette by selecting Pa-
Window 1 Fig.13 let's/Info Object or simply type Ctrl+I.Change the
height parameter to 1m and the elevation to 1.3m.
VectorWorks allows us to modify the parameters of any part of the project (doors, windows,
walls, etc). After we change the parameters, VectorWorks will redraw the modified part in the window.
automatically. We call this important resource 'Parameterization'.
Return to the Top/Plan view by selecting the command View/Views/Top Plan or simply
pressing Ctrl + 5. Click the button in the View Bar to fit the drawing on the sheet.

4- Creating the Project Floor

The process for creating the floor is also quite simple in VectorWorks.
Return to the Top/Plan view by selecting the command Visual/Views/Top Plan or simply
by pressing Ctrl + 5. Click on the button in the View Bar to fit the drawing on the sheet.

In the 2D Toolbar, select the Rectangle tool.

In the drawing window, create a rectangle that extends from the top-left corner of the page.
draw to the bottom right corner.

Don't worry if the rectangle covers the wall drawing, hiding them.
With the newly created rectangle still selected, execute the command AEC/Floor
In the floor parameter adjustment window, enter 0.1 (10 cm) for the Thickness field and click Ok.
The rectangle has now been transformed into a floor object with a thickness of 10 cm.
The floor is covering your walls (that's why your walls are no longer visible) to send
the floor behind the walls: Select the floor and then execute Tool/Overlay/Send to
Back, or simply press the shortcut Ctrl + B.

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5- Creating a Ladder in the Project

In the AEC Object Palette, select the Stair Tool.

In the Modes Bar, click the button to adjust the parameters.

• Adjust the parameters as shown in fig. 14. Click OK

Move the cursor until it touches the center of the left side wall (note the message "Center"), NOT
click still.
• Move the cursor to the central point of the sliding glass door (note the message "Locus"). DO NOT
still click.
Now, scroll down until you get the crossing message of the alignment with the two points before
riores (fig. 15).

Fig. 14 Fig. 15

• Click the mouse to set the location, move the mouse to set the orientation in which the ladder
it will be placed and click to confirm.

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Changing the Color and Some Parameters of the Ladder

• Click on the Walk Through tool and then in the tool Overview .

Drag the mouse in the window to observe the ground floor model from different angles. Place it approximately
carefully in the position shown in fig. 16. If desired, use the Zoom tool to approximate
the image of the ladder.

Fig. 16

Change the presentation to OpenGL using Visual/Presentation/OpenGL

With the selection tool click on the ladder to select it.

Open the Object Information Palette and change the following parameters:
Enable the Left and Right Handrail options.
Change the Type to Without Mirrors.

Try changing the Type and Shape of the staircase to other options.

Changing the Color of the Staircase

Type of Filling
Open the Attributes Palette.
Filling Color
• Click on the 'Fill Color' field (fig. 17) and select

Color of the Stroke choose the desired color.

Thickness and Style of
Trace

Fig. 17

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What You Have Created so Far...

YouhavesuccessfullycompletedthefirstpartoftheVectorWorkstutorial.Youhavelearnedtocreatewalls.
rails, doors, and windows with any measurements, the floor and the stairs.
Now, try to practice what you learned by changing a few things in your project.

Some Suggestions:
Add some internal walls to your ground floor.
Add doors in these internal walls

Create a Helical (Spiral) staircase using the tool in the AEC Object Palette.
Move the position of some windows and doors and notice that the walls are automatically adjusted.

Using the Curved Walls tool (Wall Palette), create some curved walls in your
project. Note that the curved walls will also automatically join with the other walls.

The Next Step of the Tutorial

In the next step of this tutorial, you will finish the house by creating the walls of the upper floor.
(including curved walls), we will also create a balcony and the roof of the house.

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Module 5 - Creating the Upper Floor of the House

Return to Top/Plan view (press Ctrl + 5).

Select the sunlight that is in the middle of your view and delete it (press Delete).

The sunlight is automatically created whenever we select a presentation (Render) with

shading (e.g.: Solid Shading, Line-Free Shading, etc)

1- Creating the Walls of the Upper Floor

Let'snowcreatetheupperfloorofourhouse.
We have several ways to do this in VectorWorks, one of them would be to switch to the Upper layer.
and simply start drawing the walls as we wish, in this case we could use the Arrange command/
Layer Options in the 'Show/Align with Others' option to visualize the walls of the
Ground floor as a reference while we design the walls of the upper floor.
Another faster way (which can also be used in most cases) is to simply copy.
the walls from the Ground Floor to the Upper Floor and then delete or edit what we want on the upper floor.

Copying the Walls from the Ground Floor to the Upper Floor

First, select everything in your Ground layer by pressing Ctrl + A

• Copy everything that has been selected to the clipboard using Edit/Copy
Change the Active Layer to 'Upper' using the Layer pop-up menu on the Data Bar (fig. 1).

Layered Pop-up Menu

at the top of the window
of drawing

Fig.1

Glue the ground floor walls on the upper floor using Edit/Paste in Position.
When we place the copies of the walls from the Ground Floor on the Upper Floor, VectorWorks will automatically
position them 2.8m high, as this is the Z value of this layer. Thus we 'assemble' completely
precision a floor over another, without the need for any complex 3D editing commands.

2- Removing the Doors and Windows from the Upper Floor

Select the ladder and the floor and delete them by pressing Delete.

To select more than one object, just click on the objects while holding down the SHIFT key.

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 VectorWorks - Basic Tutorial

Remove the doors and windows shown in fig. 2.

using the following procedure:

With the selection tool active, move

hover over the door you want to remove from Remove all the
wall (DO NOT click yet). doors and windows
When the cursor takes the form pressure
the mouse button and drag the symbol (door or
window) to the outside of the wall

Note that when we remove the door from the wall, the
The door in the wall will close automatically. Fig. 2
This is because VectorWorks is a CAD software
so object-oriented, making it easier to
any type of editing in a proje-
to architectural.
Once outside the wall, you can delete the symbol (door or window) by selecting it normally.
and pressing Delete.
Using the same procedure, also remove all the windows.

3- Visualizing the 3D Model of the Project

In the layers pop-up menu, change the active layer to the layer 'MAQUETE'.
In this layer we will 'assemble' our model in space from the Ground, Upper and
Coverage.
Select the command Visual/ Layer Association...
In the Layer Association window (fig. 3), select the three layers Ground, Superior, and Coverage. For
just click on the Ground layer and then, while holding down the Shift key, click on the other layers.

Fig. 3

Click Associate to confirm the association of the selected layers.

Change the view to Isometric using the command Visual/Views/Right Isometric

Click on the Walk Through tool in the tool Overflight and drag the mouse on the
drawing window to observe it from different angles.

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 VectorWorks - Basic Tutorial

A very important point is that the 3D model is fully linked to the layers that compose it.
Thus, any changes we make to the original layers (Ground, Upper...) will be reflected in the 3D model.
automatically.
As we will see next...

4- Making Edits on the Upper Floor

Let's now edit the upper floor to create a balcony at the front of the house.
• Click on the Layers pop-up menu (in the Data Bar) and make the Top layer active.

Select the Straight Wall Creation tool and click the preferences button

Change the Thickness to 0.15m.

• Create the internal walls 1 and 2 according to figure 5. Use the following procedure:
Move the mouse to point 1 (point of
internal junction between the inclined wall and the 3
vertical wall), upon receiving the message
Point, click the mouse and move to
to the right. Wall 2

If the alignment is not in the option

right alignment press A

press the 'U' key several times until this option of
alignment stay active.
1 2
Press the Tab key until you access the field
Wall 1
"L" in the Data Bar and then type the va- 5.5m
press 5.5 and hit Return. Fig.5
Position the wall horizontally and click
to confirm its creation (point 2).
Move the mouse up until it reaches the pa-
network (point 3) and then click the mouse to
finish.
VectorWorks has tools for changing
actions on walls, remodeling, corrections and jun- Wall 2
actions, which makes the edits fast and very pre- 1
As we will see below: Join the Wall
3 with 2...
Select the Wall Joining tool
Click on wall 3 (see fig. 6), move to
the wall 2 and click again to join them. wall 3
Now, to correct the junction, click on the wall
new generated at the generated junction and move to the
2 .. finalize wall 4
wall 4 to fix the junction in 'T'. doing this
junction.
Fig.6

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 VectorWorks - Basic Tutorial

Creating the Slab of the Upper Floor

Let'snowcreatethefloorofourupperlevel.
Select all walls by pressing Ctrl+A
Select the AEC command/Polygons from Walls

In the command definition window, select the option Cover Util Area.

This will automatically generate a polygon from the outer surfaces of the walls that delimit
the project (i.e., the definition polygon of the project slab). Optionally, you may use the
"Cover Useful Area" option to generate an individual polygon for each internal environment of the project.
The floor polygon will be generated automatically (the polygon will cover the walls, but will not
don't worry about this now).
Click on any blank area of the drawing, outside the house, to deselect all objects.
• Click on any point of the upper floor to select the generated polygon.

Let'snowturnthispolygonintoaslab10cmthick.
With the newly generated polygon selected, select the AEC/Floor command in the definition window.
For the floor, enter 0.1 for Thickness and leave the Bottom Z at 0m. Click OK.

Send the newly generated floor back (so that it doesn't overlap the walls) using the command
Iron/Overlay/Send to Back.
The shortcut to execute the Send to Back command is to press Ctrl + B

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 VectorWorks - Basic Tutorial

Creating the House Balcony

On the upper floor, we will now make some edits to create a balcony.
First, let's reduce the height of the walls that form the eaves of the porch to 1m.
• On the upper floor and in the Top/Plan view. Select the walls shown in fig. 7

Select the 3
walls that
form the eaves to

Fig.7

Change the view to Isometric Right

Open the Objects Information Palette (press Ctrl + I)
In the field∆Change the value to 1.0 and press Return (or Enter). See fig. 8.

Fig. 8

Notice that the 3 walls have changed in height. This is one of the characteristics of VectorWorks: the
Parameterization of any created element.
Switch to the Mockup layer to observe the result of the model so far.

With the tool Flyover rotate the model in space to observe it from various angles.

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 VectorWorks - Basic Tutorial

Generating Curved Walls on the Upper Floor

In VectorWorks we can create curved walls directly with the tool. , like
also transform a straight wall into a curve, as we will do next.
Make the 'Upper' layer active again, 1
• Select a thread tool
(Rounding) on the wall palette.
2
Click on the options button ofFilete
3
(in the Modes Bar) and type 3 for the radius.
Click OK.
• In the Mode Bar, select the 3rd Mode. 4
left side) of creation
Creates the curved walls (see fig. 9):
Fig.9
Click on the wall (point 1) and move the mouse
to the other wall (point 2) and click again
to confirm you.
Click on the wall (point 3) and move the mouse to the other wall (point 4) and click to confirm.

Putting Doors and Windows on the Upper Floor

Create the doors and windows shown in fig. 10, as below:

Door 1: Sliding Door 4m wide by 2.1m (height). Config: 3 Panels. Insert

in the center of the wall.

Door 2: Sliding Door com 1.5m (larg.) por 2.1m (altura). Config: 2 Painéis (2 Panels)
Insert in the center of the wall.

Door 3: Simple Door com1m (large)

4 3
by 2.1m (height). Insert at 30 cm from the corner of the 7
wall using the displaced insertion mode
1.8m
and the alignment .

Windows 4 and 5: Complex Windows of

6
2m x 1.5m installed in the center of the walls. 2 5
Windows 6 and 7: Complex Windows
1m x 1.5m installed at 1.8m from the center of 1
vertical wall (see fig. 10). Use the mode of
displaced insertion and the alignment to Fig.10

left (in the Modes Bar).

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 VectorWorks - Basic Tutorial

Visualizing the 3D Model of the Project

Switch to the "3D Model" layer and observe the model generated so far.

• With the Flyover tool Rotate the model in space to observe it from various angles.
• Use the Visual/Presentation command to choose a different Presentation (e.g., Shading)
Solid or OpenGL.

If you choose the OpenGL presentation and everything turns dark, it's because there is no light defined.
project. To solve this, just choose a shading presentation beforehand (e.g., Solid Shading)
for a light to be placed. After this, select the OpenGL presentation.

5- Generating the Roof of the House

Let'snowcreatetheroofofthishouse.
VectorWorks allows you to create roofs in two ways: manually and automatically. The manual method uses the
command AEC/Generate Roof Water, and it will define each water that composes the roof individually. This
mode is used to generate more customized roofs. The automatic mode will automatically generate
all the water that makes up the roof of a house from the existing walls.
Let'susetheautomaticmodetogeneratetheroofofthishouse.
In this creation mode, VectorWorks requires that there are straight walls or some polygon that defines it.
the outline that the roof should take. Thus, we will use the walls of the Ground Floor as the reference
to generate the roof.
• Make the Ground Floor layer active (using the layer pop-up menu in the Data Bar)
• Select only the walls, using the following technique: Select all (Ctrl + A) and then, with the key
Hold down the Shift key, click on the floor and the stairs to deselect them.
Select the AEC command / Generate Roof from Walls
In the roof definition window (fig. 11)
define the parameters as below:
30°
Support Height: 0
Eave: 1m
Eave Profile: Vertical
0.1m
Activate the Create Roof option in the Layer and
enter the name of the layer where the roof will be
created. In our case, the layer will be "Cover-
tura
Fig. 11
Click OK to generate the roof automatically.
mind.
Select the roof and change the fill color of the roof in the Attributes Palette.

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 VectorWorks - Basic Tutorial

Observing the Complete House in 3D

Switch to the layerMockup.

Use the flyover tool to view the 3D house model from different angles.
Position yourself at an interesting angle and choose the OpenGL presentation.
If you have RenderWorks installed, set the render option to RenderWorks Final Quality.
He/She will calculate the materials and the shadows of the project.

Fig.12

Congratulations!
You just generated an architectural project, completely in 3D with VectorWorks!
Stop for a moment and reflect on the following:
In which other CAD software could you so interactively and easily carry out a project?
architectural completely in 3D?
For this reason, VectorWorks has been adopted by thousands of architects and designers around the world.

Continue Exploring...
Experiment making some modifications to the project you created.
Try to use the tools and commands you learned to create a new project.
Finalize the project documentation that you created by following the steps presented on the next page...

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 VectorWorks - Basic Tutorial

Extra Module - Generating the Project Documentation

In this final step of the tutorial, you will learn how to generate a technical documentation of the project, how
shown in fig. 13.

Fig.13

OVectorWorks offers various features to streamline the generation of technical project documentation.
These resources include: Hatching, Dimensioning, Fully integrated Quantitative Worksheets,
generation of automatic cuts, Scripts for generating markings, margins, and sheet stamps
much more.
Below we explain one of the methods used in VectorWorks to generate a technical document.
Posts by plants, elevations/cuts in a single board.
Create a new layer called 'Documentation'. In this layer we will generate the documentation.
Place the view in Top/Plan.
Select Page/Layer Scale, change the layer scale to 1:200
Make the Ground layer active, select all (Ctrl+A) and use the command Edit/Copy or press Ctrl+C.
• Switch to the Documentation layer and paste the copied floor plan from the Ground Floor (Ctrl+V).
Group the objects (Ctrl+G) and position them where you want.
Repeat the 3 previous steps to copy the floor plan from the Superior to the Documentation.

Generating a Cut in the Project

• Switch to the Draft layer. Set the view to Top/Plane (Ctrl+5)
• Select the 3D Section/Model Command and then click on some point on the left side of the project.
and move the cursor to the right to create the cut line.

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 VectorWorks - Basic Tutorial

Once the cutting line is in the correct direction, click.

Move the mouse to set the direction of the cut and click to confirm the creation of the cut.
The cut will be created on a new layer. Change the view to Front.
Select the command Tools/Convert Copy to Polygons
Select the Hidden Lines option and click OK.
OVectorWorks will generate a 2D image of the front view of the performed cut.
Cut (Ctrl+X) the generated 2D image.
• Switch to the Documentation layer and paste (Ctrl+V) the cropped image.
Despite being very fast and simple. From this method, we are actually generating a docu-
technical specification completely accurate (9 decimal places) of our project. This way we can at any
moment, create the quotas in these images of the Documentation layer or in any other layer.

Creating Quotas in the Project Documentation

In the Scaling Palette, you will find all the tools you need to
create the project quotas. To create a linear quota (horizontal or vertical) proce-
the fact is as follows:

Select the Horizontal/Vertical Linear Dimension tool.

• In the Modes Bar, select the desired quota creation mode (Simple Quota ,
same base quota or Sequential Quota ).
In the drawing, hover the cursor over the point where you want to start the measurement. Click the
mouse
Move to the second point that completes the measurement line. Click again.
The Palette of
Move the mouse to position the text of the quote and click again to finish. Dimensioning
If you are using the Same Base or Sequential Quota mode, move the mouse to the
next measuring point click, and so on.

For more technical or commercial information about VectorWorks, please enter

contact us:

comercial@cadtec.com
suporte@cadtec.com

(011) 3849 8257

(011) 3845 4485

w w w. c a d t e c . c o m

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 Appendix VectorWorks - Basic Tutorial

Palettes and Tools Used in this Tutorial

The Palettes of VectorWorks
The tools are arranged in palettes as below:

2D tools 3D Tools Walls AEC Objects Edition The Palette of

Quotas

List of Tools Used in this Tutorial

Icon Tool Name Which Palette Is It In What is it for?

Selection Tool 2D Tools Select, move, copy, and re-scale objects

Straight Walls Walls Create straight walls

Wall Junction Walls Joining Walls

Curved Walls Walls Create curved walls

Overflight 3D tools Rotate the observer around the model

Walking Through 3D tools Makes the observer walk through the model

Create Rectangle 2D tools Create rectangles

Simple Doors AEC Objects Create a Simple Parametric Door

Sliding Door AEC Objects Create a Parametric Sliding Door

Simple Window AEC Objects Create a Parametric Window

Composite Window AEC Objects Create a Parametric Window

U-shaped stairs AEC Objects Create a Parametric 'L' or 'U' Staircase

Helical Staircase AEC Objects Create a Parametric Helical Staircase

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